GEC 5

PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
Prelim Module 1

Name: ______________________________________ Course: ________________ Date: ___________

TOPIC: The Communication Processes and Principles

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the module, the students should have:

Increased knowledge in communication, its processes and principles hence become more skillful
communicators;
Heightened awareness on communication ethics resulting in conscientious and respectful
interactions;
Applied the gained knowledge in communication processes, principles and ethics through class
exercises that help learners execute expected communication performances.

PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY:

Answer the following questions briefly and logically?

1. What is communication?

2. When can one say that communication is effective? And when it is ineffective?

ABSTRACTION

Communication comes from the Latin word communicare which means “to share”. Communication is a human act of
sending (verbal or nonverbal; online or offline) and receiving of messages where interpretations are normally
constructed in the process. Communication is a natural activity of people. We are always engaged in almost all sorts
of communication. As Watzlawick (1976 in Oyvind, et al., 2011), a communication expert, aptly wrote, “One cannot
communicate”. Apparently, all human beings are wire for communication activities in one’s lifetime.

Purposive communication is an intentional communication that happens within the bounds of specific contexts.
Context. Communication happens in specific contexts. Context includes settings or environmental (family, school,
workplace, religious communities); social relations (friends, husband and wife, parent and child, colleagues/boss-
subordinates in the office); scenes which include place, time and occasion ( business meeting, job interview, social
gathering-parties, weddings,etc.,); and culture (history, tradition, beliefs, norms, values).

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Context are vital considrations in our communication acts since they affect the process of sending and receiving of
messages; semantics or meanings; choice of channels, words, and methods of delivery. Communication there must
be suitable to the specific context hence should be intentional or purposive. Communication is the exchange of
thoughts , messages or information , by speech, signals, writing or behavior between a sender and a receiver.

The communication process:

channel/
delivery
message

encoding/
sender decoding/
receiver

feedback

The following are the terms involved in the communication process:

Feedback

- a verbal or non-verbal response by a receiver to the sender’s message. Messages in communication will always
have an effect on the receiver. There are messages that trigger positive reactions and at times negative depending on
the kind of message relayed, how it is communicated and how it is interpreted. It is therefore important to know the
feedback of our audience/s (listener/reader) in order to make the necessary clarifications and revisions of our
messages.

Encoding/ sender

- selecting words and their order for a message by a sender. The sender of the message is a highly important element
being the source of the idea. As the sender, it is expected that one possesses the skills required in transmitting
messages. These skills could include the ability to use the language that the receiver understands.
Decoding/ receiver

-translation of a message/ receivers of messages must have good listening and comprehension skills. Good listening
requires one to focus on what is conveyed and as much as possible eliminate all possible distractions or noises
(physical, environmental, psychological, emotional) that would hinder one from understanding the message.

Message/channel - the conduit or medium that will carry a message from the sender to the
receiver. For messages to be accurately understood and positively received, the principles or the C’s in communication
may be followed:

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 Courtesy. Another word for courtesy is politeness. Usage of polite words and tone means one respects the
receiver of the message. Tact and diplomacy in communication is always appreciated and this approach will
normally beget a positive reply. Developing the “we” attitude selecting gender-free terms and responding
promptly to important messages are ways to demonstrate courtesy.

Clarity. This may involve correct word usage, grammar, pronunciation, sentence construction and delivery.
Messages which are unclear oftentimes do not achieve their desired effect.
Conciseness. Lengthy messages an result in formation overload and overwhelm listeners/readers of
messages. Conciseness is “saying what needs to be said in as few words as possible.” To display
conciseness, flowery languages, which normally include unnecessary words must be avoided. Remember,
our goal is to communicate and not to impress our listeners/readers with our lengthy discourse.
Concreteness. This refers to being specific. To demonstrate concreteness, providing examples whenever
necessary makes a message more comprehensible.

Completeness. To avoid ambiguity, messages should not leave out important details that a receiver expects to
know such answers to the : what, who, when, where, why and how questions.

APPLICATION:
Write the C (courtesy, clarity, conciseness, concreteness, completeness) that needs to be addressed before each
number . And write the correct sentence.

_____ 1. Pay your phone bill as soon as possible else we will be forced to disconnect your
telephone line.

_____ 2. Men are better than women.

_____ 3. Call me if I qualify for the position I am applying for.

______ 4. Your service is no longer needed in the company.

______ 5. If you have nothing sensible to say, better shut up.

ASSESSMENT.

Answer the questions briefly.

1. In your perspective, why is the study of communication relevant to your life and to your future profession? Cite
specific instances of its significance.

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 2. As a sender or receiver of a message, what is it that you need to develop further? How can you improve on
these areas?

Your answers will be graded using this ANALYTICAL RUBRIC below.

Areas of
4 3 2 1
Assessment
Presents ideas in an Presents ideas in a Ideas are vague or
Ideas Ideas are too general
original manner consistent manner unclear
Strong and organized Some organization; No organization; lack
Organization Organized beg/mid/end
beg/mid/end attempt at a beg/mid/end beg/mid/end
Writing shows strong Writing shows a clear Writing shows adequate Writing shows little
Understanding
understanding understanding understanding understanding

Prepared by:

MARGARITA D. YBAÑEZ
Instructor

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